A Momentary Lapse of Sanity
by UnderdogHero
Summary: It's those moments in time where you wonder why you're friends with these people, why you put up with their crap, and why you absolutely love them regardless and wouldn't give those moments up for the world. Ren/Aichi/Leon friendship.
1. Chapter 1: Mountains

A/N: So I was watching "Encouragement Of Climb" when I got this insatiable urge to write some Gen!

... I know, not enough reason to ditch everything and start a new story, but you all know how I am. And hey, maybe this'll get me back into a Vanguard mood, especially after the most recent episode. The first thing I wonder was where the hell was Leon when all this was happening? Did he go back to Hong Kong? SO THIS IS MY EXCUSE TO WRITE MORE LEON and Aichi and Ren of course.

**.**

"Leon, if you don't keep climbing, you'll never get to the top!"

"J-Just a little more, Leon-kun!"

Leon swore under his breath, gripping the rocks harder as he tried his best not to look down. Ren _knew_ he was afraid of heights, yet there he was, dragging the blond out on a Sunday morning(even_ he _had classes to study for, regardless of being currently abroad. His captain would kill him if he failed any classes) and telling him they were climbing a mountain.

A fucking _mountain_.

And not the easy way.

"I don't _want_ to make it to the top, I want to get down!" He shouted, clutching the safety rope in his left hand while his right hand stayed holding the rock. It wasn't that high up, he'll admit, but after that nasty fall he'd had when he was nine(he didn't know the towers on the island were _that _unstable), he wasn't about to climb any higher than he could see.

"But it's sooo pretty up here!" The Ren sang, jiggling the rope slightly. He heard Aichi saying something along the lines of _That's dangerous, Ren-san!_ and the older boy's laughter following, and he was not amused.

"And maybe this'll cure your fear of heights! Come on, Leon, just do it!" Ren laughed. He peered over the edge of the cliff, grinning down at the blond. "Unless you really wanna get down?"

"Yes!" _Finally_, the red-head seemed to get it. He shifted his feet slightly, heart beating faster every second. He was starting to feel sick, and the crunching noises under his feet did _not_ help alleviate his worries. He heard Ren hum.

"The fast way or the slow way?" He said, and Leon looked up in confusion. Ren was still holding the rope, though a little further out so it was in his view. Something was off.

"... Fast?" He said hesitantly, and immediately regretted it.

"Okay~"

He felt his insides churn the moemnt Ren's fingers loosened on the rope, gripping the rocks tightly with both hands before he felt the jerk of the rope and Ren's laugher floating down.

When they were back on ground level, he was going to kick the bastard's ass.

"Ren-san, don't do that!"

"But he said he wanted to get down." Leon's head shot up.

"I said I wanted to get down, not for you to _kill_ me!" He paused. "I'm not Aichi!"

"Hey!"

It was only fifteen minutes later, when he'd finally been talking into climbing up by the instructor, that he made good on his self-promise and tackled the red-head to the ground.

It was twently minutes later that Aichi asked him, "So... are you still afraid of heights?"

**.**

A/N: I have this strange head-canon that Leon was extremely energetic as a child and got into all kinds of trouble, which was why he was around their clan leader so much, to stop him from doing stupid things. It includes the idea of the geography of the island they lived on(I can't remember the exact image of it, but since there were a lot of ruins, I assume they had towers or something) and that he has the whole place mapped out by memory because of all the stuff he's pulled when he was younger. Another head-canon is that he does not get along with the captain of his school's Vanguard team(it's a school like S.I.T., but there's most likely _someone _in charge of them during things like tournaments). and the vice-captain always has to settle their arguments. Cuz I honestly do not believe Leon can lead a team with more than 3 people. Haha, my opinions of my favorite characters.

But other than that, I plan on updating this slowly with whatever pops into my head. Ah, these will probably be set between episodes 116 and... 129, maybe some after if I can work it out.

Now, I should really be uploading this on my other profile, seeing as it's Gen, but then I remembered that one is reserved for one-shots.


	2. Chapter 2: Planning

A/N: Another idea I had for this fic(so what if I have to get up early tomorrow for a tournament? NOTHING CAN STOP THE MIND OF A WRITER except writer's block...) that I wanted to do right away, never mind the fact that it's near midnight and I should be wasting my time either updating _**Another Day, Tomorrow**_ or writing up my 6th draft of my essay, BUT THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT. That, and I kinda forgot I made food so now I gotta finish it...

And for someone I know is definitely going to be curious, Chris WILL be in this, in future chapters. Maybe the next one if I can get an idea.

**.**

"_And so, Leon, we're having it at _you're _place_."

"But_ why_?!"

Leon could feel the throbbing in his head as he lay on his stomach, phone pressed to his ear between his head and the hotel bed. While he was fascinated at the concept of three-way calls(he'd never used a cellphone before in his life until Jillian and Charlene had him buy one, not like he _needed_ one before) it wasn't necessarily a good thing when the first thing you see on your screen is the name _Suzugamori Ren_ flashing in bold letters.

How the other boy got his number, he didn't know, nor did he want to.

"Besides, Aichi's room is bigger."

"_Please don't turn this problem over to me, even I'm against it_."

"_But your place has _two_ beds, we'd have to sleep on the dirty floor at Aichi's place!_"

"_My room is _not_ messy!_"

He sighed, raising himself up onto his elbows to rub his eyes. The concept of time didn't seem to matter to Ren, seeing as he thought it'd be best to make plans for a _sleepover_ at eleven at night. He might not have been sleeping, but he planned to soon.

"You remember that I'm currently staying in a _hotel_, right? How is this even going to work?"

"_Um, tell them we're family?_"

"We don't look anything alike!"

"_Distant relatives!_"

"That's an obvious lie."

"_We can dress up -_"

"NO!" He heard Aichi yell at the same time. At least he wasn't the only one opposed to Ren playing dress-up with them.

"_Come_ on_, people do this all the time! And it's just one night, it's not like we're staying for a whole _month_ like you are!_"

Leon frowned. While he had no objections to coming to Japan for the High School Vanguard Tournament, he'd gotten quite sick of hotels after having to change every two weeks during the circuit. Even the dorms at his school were unpleasent(not quality-wise, it was spacious and clean. He just didn't like the atmosphere) and a little lonely.

And the one thing he hated above all else(except maybe Void) was being alone.

Although, according to Ren, he wouldn't be alone for long.

"_Please, please, please, _please_ let me do this? I haven't had one since middle school and Kai is so uptight now that he won't even let me in his room, much less his apartment building and Tetsu doesn't like coming to my roon 'cuz he thinks it's creepy, which I can't figure out _why_ and-_"

"OKAY, fine, whatever!" He shouted, quickly clapping a hand over his mouth. He wasn't the only one on the floor, and he didn't want any angry phonecalls from the reception.

Which he'd probably be getting with what he's agreed to.

"Just keep _quiet_, I don't want to get in trouble." He gets in enough of it back at school, a break would do him some good.

"_Okay~!_"

... Somehow, he hightly doubted he'd get the rest he so desperately wanted.

**.**

A/N: So I know these have really been focusing on Leon and Ren has had a lot of dialogue, but seeing as I'm totally biased and Ren can't keep his mouth shut to give poor Aichi some lines, it can't be helped. HOWEVER, I have discovered a way to keep him busy next chapter, seeing as this one extends to another 2. Looks like Chris really will be getting an appearace...


	3. Chapter 3 Applying

A/N: I realized something after thinking this chapter over for a while. Leon does not look good in pastel colors D: What does that have to do with this chapter? NOTHING OF COURSE- no yo'll see in a sec. Also, I've complained a lot about this to the people around me, but WHY DID HE HAVE TO LOSE THOSE ADORABLE PUDGY CHEEKS don't ask how this happened.

**.**

"You seriously came."

Aichi rubbed the back of his neck nervously, hand tightening slightly on his bag. Ren was grinning like Leon's exasperated express was the funniest thing in the world, which it probably was by the red-head's standards.

"Well you see, I wasn't actually going to come, but then Ren-san climbed into my room through my window and-"

"I brought him here!" Ren cheered, cutting off Aichi's explanation. "We're all former PSYqualia users, so we should take chances like these to get together from time to time and discuss how hectic our lives have been! Ah, I wanted to bring Chis-kun along, but his flight leaves early so he coudn't make it."

Aichi sighed. "Like I said, you shouldn't have asked-"

He was cut off as Ren pushed him into the room, shoving Leon aside as he passed.

"You know, it's pretty rude to brush off the person whose room you're invading." Leon snapped, obviously annoyed - slightly - unwanted guests. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "And don't make too much noise, I had a hard time getting permission to let you guys in."

"Is that why they didn't stop us at the door? Since this _is_ a pretty high-class hotel." Aichi asked, pushing aside the bags that Ren has carelessy discarded on the floor in favor of wandering around the suite. He allowed his eyes to roam a bit, noting the open door to the side.

"It connects to another room, if you're wondering." Leon sighed, adjusting the hood of the blue short-sleaved hoodie he wore. "The kitchen and bathroom are there, so don't hesitate to go in if you need either of them."

"Th-thank you." Aichi nodded, glancing at the blond. He looked tired. "Um, is it really okay that we're here? I know you have a lot of work to do, being abroad and all..."

"Hm? Oh, that." Leon scratched the back of his head. "It shoudn't be a problem if I finish the work they gave me before I get back, and I've already finished the online ones. Don't worry about it." He let his arm drop to his side, sighing lightly. "I just... haven't had a chance to relax. Our captain calls every day for updates, and most of the conversation ends with him yelling at me - come to think of it, that's how they start, too." He frowned, and Aichi couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped.

"You have it rough, huh? I'm sorry if this visit is-"

"Uwah, look at how clean the bathroom is!"

"-... I think we should stop him."

"Agreed."

**.**

Roughy an hour later, the three were seated on the floor surrounding several bags of cookies, supplied by Ren. While he had initially disapproved of the idea of a _sleepoever_(of al things Ren had to come up with), Leon had to admit, it _was_ nice to have someone to talk to. Jillian and Charlene didn't come over to his room nearly as much as the used to when they were kids, though he figured it would be obvious why. The thought didn't make things any better, though.

"Leon-kun, what are things like at your school? You said it's like SIT?" Aichi asked him after a while of idle conversation. Leon thought for a moment.

"In a word? Stuffy." He shrugged. "I already know our captain hates me, and he makes it a point to remind me daily - even while I'm in Japan. The Fighters are good, but..." He paused, wondering how to go about his next words and if they would be alright to say to this group.

"... But...?" Ren pressed, leaning in slightly.

"... But it's lonely, I guess. I have my own room, and dorms are separated by gender. No one seems to want to talk to me, either. I don't really understand the classes either, so I think I'm failing math."

"How can you fail _math_?!" Ren said, shocked. "It's like, a basic requirement for Fighters!"

"Addition, subtraction and the like are easy! I don't get what this 'distance formula' and 'exponents' are for!" Leon said, making sure not to raise his voice. "If you haven't heard already, I didn't exactly have a proper schooling back on the _island_."

There was a short silence that followed, Ren leaning back, red eyes locked onto Leon's violet ones.

"You know Leon, I just reaized something."

Leon raised an eyebrow, the glare disappearing and being replaced with a look of confusion.

"What?" Ren studied him for a moment, looking him up and down before crossing his arms, a look of disappointment on his face.

"Pastel colors really don't suit you-"

"_That's_ what you're commenting on?!"

Ren gawked at him. "But it's true! You'd look _much_ better in something, don't know, green? Dark colors, at least. Don't wear anything light from now on."

Leon continued to stare at him, before looking to Aichi, then Ren, back to Aichi, and then Ren again. He sighed heavily.

"How and why do I know you?"

"Because we're all crazy but you love us anyways."

**.**

A/N: I ended up not doing the scene I wanted to do here, since it didn't really fit in with the whole "sleepover in a hotel" thing I had going. I'll probaby save it for another chater, if I can think of something. I also ended up editing Chris out of this chapter, since he didn't really get to do anything... DON'T WORRY CHRIS I'LL GET YOU IN THIS FIC SOMEHOW wait plot bunny gimme a sec...

On a competely different subject, I went to the dentist yesterday and found out I might have to have my wisdom tooth pulled, since it's growing the wrong way. 'Cuz apparently teeth aren't supposed to grow horizontally and it could cause me a lot of pain later in life. BUT THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT if there ever was one. Maybe I just felt the need to inform you guys about what goes on in my life like I used to. Next chapter should conclude our PSY-trio's - I almost called them a quartet, but I have yet to add Chris to this fic, so let's save that awkward expression for another day - little sleepover.

Now if you'll excuse me, its nearing 2 in the morning, I have a presentation due for my 1st class, and I have yet to finish it OR the two essays due on the 20th. Wow my partner for that presentation is gonna be mad. Oh well, it's not like we're friends.

EDIT: The U key of my mom's laptop - which I typed this out on, hopefully I'll never have to again - is slightly broken, so if you see and U's missing from words, do inform me so I can fix it. You don't know how many times I've looked through this chapter and had to edit over and over and over- I think you get it.


End file.
